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Gray Cox is a professor at College of the Atlantic and a co-founder of The Quaker Institute for the Future. He is the author of “Smarter Planet or Wiser Earth? Dialogue and Collaboration in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.”
Democrats focused on national polls cling to hopes for a comeback after the presidential debate. But those drilling down into details of swing states that will decide the Electoral College face increasing despair. Still, the option of opening the Democratic convention for a new candidate sparks grave uncertainty about the process and dread of it collapsing into the chaos of Chicago in 1968. But fears, once faced, give creative imagination space for pictures of a better future and processes to get there.
To prepare for a fair, orderly, open convention that will yield a strong consensus nominee and electoral victory, what formats could the Democrats use to test out candidates?
They should avoid any incentives for mutual attack that would weaken whoever eventually runs against Donald Trump. The formats should demonstrate their merits and focus attacks on the Project 2025 agenda and Trump’s incompetence and moral disqualifications. The formats should also demonstrate the civility and clarity of purpose of the party as a whole as well as the extensive merits of its record and proposals for the future.
Here’s a draft format: Hold round robin debate/exhibitions for a group of candidates in a small enough number each time so they can show who they are, what they support, and how they think. Also, invite Trump or one of his GOP stand ins to participate. If no Republican accepts the invitation, then use substantive two- to three-minute video clips from Trump’s previous debates, speeches and campaign talks.
Give each of the candidates equal time to then respond to Trump‘s speeches. Get the League of Women Voters to select quailed news professionals to frame and present the Trump speeches in context and in the fairest light possible. The point is not to attack a strawman, but to actually force the Democratic candidates to respond to the best case Trump can make for himself.
The fairness and novelty of this kind of format will spark curiosity and draw viewers. Further, it will serve the interest of the Democrats to actually use clips and video that voters will perceive as being a fair representation of Trump. At the end of each exhibition/debate, candidates could be invited to identify key points on which they agree and asked if they will pledge to support whichever candidate the convention chooses.
Such exhibition debates could be held around the country, welcoming any reasonable prospect to throw their hat in the ring. Convention delegates could view all the videos and then vote for their three or four preferred candidates from the total field.
A second round of exhibition debates could then use the same format with whatever number of candidates achieve some minimum bar of votes in the first round. Perhaps 10 percent to 15 percent would be a good number, depending on how rapidly a consensus emerges. The process could be repeated as many times as seems appropriate.
As part of this process, delegates would probably want to come together via video for local and state caucus sessions to think through who they would want to choose at the convention. At the same time, the party could be using focus groups and polling to assess responses of the wider public to each candidate. Swing voters in swing states will provide key information for the convention delegates final decision.
Geographically dispersed debates with diverse candidates would create excitement and let delegates discern who could best beat Trump. These could also engage voters with the substantive issues at stake.
It could make for great television, as well as genuine dialogue and civil deliberation. And it also just might win the election.